dinner

Grilled Pork Medallions, Chili/Herb Butter & Salad

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Fifteen minutes is all it takes to prepare this delightful meal. Just make sure you leave a wrapped stick of butter on the prep table in the kitchen when you leave the house in the morning so that you have pliable, soft butter when you start prepping in the afternoon.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Pork Medallions, Chili/Herb Butter & Salad

season tenderloin medallions with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic. Saute until medium well. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

mix soft butter, roasted garlic paste, salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice and chopped cilantro. Scoop out, top with chili flakes

season radishes and cucumbers with plenty of sea salt, marinate for 10 minutes

after 10 minutes, drain water, add eggs, ketchup, sriracha, chopped parsley, roasted garlic paste and olive oil, mix carefully so you don’t mush up the eggs

spicy salad of egg, cucumber and radish

Grilled Pork Medallions, Chili/Herb Butter & Salad

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Chicken Noodle Soup & Egg

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This is a remnant from a time when a chicken noodle soup was a remedy for just about anything – a bit of a cold, a bit of a sad day, a bit of exhaustion, not much Mom couldn’t fix with a bowl of chicken noodle soup with egg 🙂
To this day, it is still a dish which, in most of it’s infinite incarnations, will make me feel better, richer, healthier and just all around more alive. Here is one of my many different variations, this one with bone-in chicken, buccatini rice noodles, peppers, shiitake mushrooms, soft boiled eggs and lots of chopped cilantro, all swimming in a freshly made, extra strong chicken soup.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken Noodle Soup & Egg

rice buccatini underneath all the other goodies

Chicken Noodle Soup & Egg

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Chili Beef, Pennoni Lisci & Peppers

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Great lunch today with a minimum of time and work. I used whole chili‘s because I find the taste better and more intense than chili flakes. Saute them until they change color and have infused the oil with their pungent heat. Remove the chili’s at this point or leave them in the dish for presentation ( I also like to chew on them a bit)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chili Beef, Pennoni Lisci & Peppers

: cut beef tenderloin into strip’s, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dust with corn starch and saute in peanut oil until brown and still rare. Set aside

: saute onion and chili’s until fragrant

: add peppers and roasted garlic purre, saute another minute

: deglaze with red wine

: add, freshly cooked pasta, beef, chopped parsley, salt and pepper

: Chili Beef, Pennoni Lisci & Peppers

: Chili Beef, Pennoni Lisci & Peppers

: sprinkle freshly grated peccorino

: Chili Beef, Pennoni Lisci & Peppers

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Short Rib Sandwich

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Often when we use leftovers, if we just add a bit of imagination and love, the resulting dish can be at least as enjoyable as the original and sometimes even better. This was surely the case here. The original Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot were a wonderful dish, but the leftovers were just as tasty and satisfying, with some added spices and flavors, served on a toasted kaiser roll with salad in dijon vinaigrette, they took on a whole new personality. Good Stuff 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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top kaiser roll with short rib mixture

: mise en place

: toasted kaiser roll

: shredded short ribs, chilis, scallions, scotch bonnet sauce, short rib sauce, garlic, onions

: top kaiser roll with short rib mixture

: short rib sandwich with romaine and tomatoes in dijon vinaigrette

: short rib sandwich with romaine and tomatoes in dijon vinaigrette

: short rib sandwich with romaine and tomatoes in dijon vinaigrette

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Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot

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The other day my friend Leo invited me for short rib’s Argentinian Style ( Tira De Asado), grilled slowly over wood coal, seasoned with just some kosher salt and served with a hearty bread and chimichurri.
While I love to eat the rib’s prepared this way, I like them even more done the classical German and French way: Braised with vegetables in red wine.
As usual, please cook them until very tender but NOT falling off the bone. In my humble opinion, anything falling off the bone is overcooked and it’s texture ruined.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot

Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot With Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

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: beef short ribs

: season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

: when browned, remove ribs, saute carrots, onion and garlic until browned

: add chilis, tomatoes and fresh oregano

: fresh oregano in the living room 🙂

: deglaze with merlot

: add beef stock, salt and pepper

: return ribs to stock

: cover, SLOWLY simmer until tender

: remove ribs, set aside

: strain vegetables, making sure to press as much vegetables as possible through the strainer to thicken the sauce and add even more flavor. Simmer and reduce until “Nape “texture. Check/adjust taste

: Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot

: Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot

: Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot

: Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot With Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

: Beef Short Rib’s Braised In Merlot With Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

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Whole Roast Pork Filet, Green Peppercorn Cream, Twice Baked Beets / Potato & Gratinated Broccoli

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This made my day today.
Old fashioned, work and time intensive and probably a bit ridiculous to prepare for just one person, but oh so worth the trouble. Reminded me of my time as executive chef years ago, when chef’s and guest’s still valued real food and service and the world was a better place (Maybe? Maybe not) 🙂
The stuffed potato with sour cream, beets and diced apples was excellent, seemed to be a bit Scandinavian in it’s taste and appearance. Gratinated broccoli, what’s not to like! And anything in green peppercorn cream – Hello !
All in all a meal I can recommend to anybody who has a bit of time on he’s/her hand and values quality over the “in”-factor.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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roast pork tender loin

: Season pork tender with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, saute until medium well

: let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing

: in same pan, saute diced onions and garlic cream, degaze with white wine and cocnac Careful- the alcohol will ignite! Add cream, simmer

: reduce by half, add salt and papper

: add demi glace, simmer one minute

: check seasoning, correct if necessary

: remove cooked baked potato from oven, cut in half, remove pulp, put through ricer

: add red beets, diced apples, egg yolk, salt & pepper

: mix well. If too loose, add a bit of mie de pain

: empty potato shell

: stuffed potato shell, ready to bake

: baked potato/beets, topped with sour cream and chives

: blanched broccoli florettes

: napped with sauce mornay

: baked until golden

: Whole Roast Pork Filet, Green Peppercorn Cream, Twice Baked Beets / Potato & Gratinated Broccoli

: roast pork tender loin

: roast pork tender loin

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“Canned” Dinner

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I am a big fan of the notion that all food should be as fresh as possible and whenever it is practical, I try to go into that direction. But, alas, sometimes it is just NOT practical. I got home late today, Bella needed her walk right away and by the time I walked her and fed her, it was already 7.00pm. I get up at around 4.00am on weekday’s, so I was pretty beat by 7.00pm. Dinner had to be fast and furious.
Here is what I found in the cup board :
Canned tuna, canned artichokes, canned sun dried tomatoes, mascarpone, dried lasagna pasta, butter, heavy cream, roasted garlick paste and chives. Add some salt and cayenne pepper and pronto, perfect dinner in ten minutes. 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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canned dinner

mise en place

saute garlic and tomatoes in butter, add cooked pasta, cream, artichokes, tuna and seasoning.

simmer one minute, add mascarpone and chives, check/adjust seasoning

to serve, sprinkle with more chives and grated pecorino romano

canned dinner

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Ungarischer Rinder Gulasch (Hungarian Beef Goulash)

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In my opinion, one of the best way’s to prepare a tough beef cut is to transform it into Paprika Gulasch (Paprika Goulash or Hungarian Goulash).
While there are many great and not so great recipes out there, the basic principle to a great goulash is simple: Same amount of onions and meat by volume, LOTS of sweet paprika, no flour to thicken (the onions will take care of that) and most important : Goulash seasoning, which will set it’s flavor apart from any other meat stew : 1/3 finely chopped caraway seed, 1/3 finely chopped thyme, 1/3 finely chopped lemon peel.

“Ungarischer rinder gulasch mit gemelli und gurkensalat”
“Hungarian beef goulash with gemelli and cucumber salad”

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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goulash with pasta, schmelze and yogurt / dill cucumber salad

: mise en place

: cubed beef

: saute onions and garlic in olive oil

: cover, steam until onions break down

: add beef

: saute until lightly caramelized

: add chopped tomatoes, chilies, sweet paprika, small amount of kosher salt

: saute for about two minutes

: add beef stock, simmer until meat is very tender but not falling apart

: goulash with pasta, schmelze and yogurt / dill cucumber salad

: Hungarian Goulash

: Ungarisher Gulasch

: Goulash & Gemelli

: Gemelli & Schmelze

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Kümmelbraten ( Caraway Pork Roast )

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I wish I would have been able to get a pork neck for this dish, but I couldn’t, so I used the next best thing, a pork butt (shoulder). For pork steaks and roast, I prefer the neck, because in my opinion the flavor and texture is far superior to any other cut of the pig. However, the butt is also a great cut to roast or braise, so at the end I was happy with what I got.
This dish is very common in the south of Germany where I grew up, so whenever I prepare this dish it alway’s brings back happy memories of a more simple time in my life. But on Friday when I cooked this, I had Daryl and Leo over for dinner, so it was a happy meal after all. (Some wine and rum also made sure of that) 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Kümmelbraten (caraway pork roast)

Pork butt (shoulder)

Pork butt, knuckle removed

Knuckle

Seasoned with mustard, thyme, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion and caraway seed

Place on a rack above red wine and beer, add chilies, scallions and tomatoes, roast at 420 F for 30 minutes, turn down to 270F cook, for three hours

Add potatoes, cook for another hour or until potatoes are soft. Remove meat, cover lightly and let rest thirty minutes

Meanwhile, remove sauce, potatoes and vegetables to a small pot, add tomato paste and simmer for fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer sauce, potatoes and vegetables to a small pot, add tomato paste and simmer for fifteen minutes. Check/adjust seasoning and texture of sauce

Kümmelbraten (caraway pork roast)

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Szechuan Style Stir Fried Beef With Broccoli, Corn & Fan

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The beauty of this dish is that although your taste bud’s will almost go numb after an initial shock of extreme heat, the excitement of the spiciness will linger in your mouth for some time to come and will leave you with an hour-long satisfaction of your taste senses.
Tuesday dinner – a hot affair 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Click here for “Fan” Recipe
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Szechuan style stir fried beef

Szechuan Style Stir Fried Beef With Broccoli, Corn & Fan

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: Marinate the beef overnight in soy sauce, ground szechuan pepper, five spice and granulated garlic

: Saute chilies in peanut oil until fragrant

: Remove chilies, reserve

: Add rice wine and corn starch to the beef, stir fry at high heat, remove, reserve

: Stir fry onions, garlic slivers, crushed szechuan peppercorns and ginger julienne until fragrant

: Add Whiskey or sherry

: Add chicken stock and reserved chilies, simmer for one minute

: Add beef, simmer one minute

: Check / adjust seasoning

: Szechuan style stir fried beef

: Szechuan style stir fried beef

: Szechuan style stir fried beef

: Szechuan Style Stir Fried Beef With Broccoli, Corn & Fan

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